Drying apparatus



July 11, 1923. 1.4 2.025

H. BENTZ DRYING APPARATUS Filed April 11. 1921 2 SheetsSheet l $3 6 Mom 1 e136 July 1 7, 1923.

H. BENTZ DRYING APPARATUS Filed April 11. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' -GU 9 mm e5 wv H Patented July 17, 1923.

uairran stares HARRY BENTZ, OF MONTCLAIR. NEW ERSEY.

DRYING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 11,1921. Serial No. 460,177.

ing moisture-from solids and has as its principal obiect the provision of a novel apparatushaving low cost but of high efliciency,

and output. I

The novel features of my invention are pointed outwith particularityfin the ap.

pended claims. The invention itself, however, with further objects and advantages, willhest be understood from thefollowing description taken in connection with the ac companying drawing. in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation view of apparatus embodying my invention; a

2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fi 3 is an elevation'view of one form of truck which may be used in connection with the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fi 4 is a view taken from the rightof Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevation view of a truck according to my invention embodying certain additional features of construction as compared to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Figs. 6 and 7 are side and front elevations respectively of a truck according to 'my invention, adapted for use in the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2. but of a slightly different type from that shown in Figs. 3 and l.

Fig. 8 is a detail view on a somewhat enlarged scale of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 5.

In the drawing 1 indicates a fan which may be of any desired type and driven by any suitable means (notshown), for deliv-.

ering air into a heater 2 from which it passes into the lower end of a slightly inclined but nearly horizontal drying tunnel 3. The end of tunnel 3 opposite the air inlet is open to permit the introduction of trucks or the like carrying material tobe dried. I prefer to providea track, such as 5, on which trucked are guided into and through the tunnel 3, the track 5 preferably ascending toward the mouth of the tunnel.

BENTZ, a citiand thence descending toward the point of inlet for the air, whereby the trucks'are operated entirely by gravity within thetunnel.

Near the heater 2 I provide doors in one'side of the tunnel indicated at 6'in' Fig. 2, and surrounding the door 6 on the outside of the rarsn'r orr es".

tunnel I provide a chamber 7 havingoutlet doors 8 at the end of the chamber removed from the tunnel, the chamber 7 serving as 1 an air-lock permitting the removal of trucks" from the tunnel 3 without loss ofhot air from "the tunnel. The trucks, such as 4, preferably have casters or wheels 9 thereon of the swivel type, and the track 5 is omitted at the end of the tunnel 3 adjacent air heater:

2 for a distance equal to the length of the truck, whereby the truck'may be readily re moved from the tunnel by drawing it side.- wise therefrom. A I

The trucks 4, carrying the material to be dried within the tunnel 3, are arranged preferably to carry the material to be dried on'removable trays, and I providemeans wherebythe air passingalong tunnel 3 necessarily flows through the tray bottoms and the material, thereby insuring the eflicient action of the air on the material. a

' In the form of trucks shown in Figs. 3 and 4:, the trays 10 are supported on the flanges of channel irons 11 secured to the frame of the truck and extend transversely to the direction of flow of the air. The

channel irons 11 are arranged at different levels on the opposite sides of the truck 4 whereby the trays 10 are inclined in the di rection of flow of the air. Moreover, since no "air (can pass through the channels 11, practically the entireflow of airin the tunnel must pass through the trays and the materialto be dried, in the mannenindicated by the arrows in Fig. 3.

, When operating on certain materials it is desirable to vary the angle of the trays 10 to the horizontal and to vary the resistance to thefiow of air and to; enable me to adjust my apparatus to such different materials, I may employ a tray 4, illustrated in Fig. 5

in which the trays are supported on .Z-bars 12 arranged" in pairs at opposite sides of the truck, each pairof Z-bars 12 corresponding. in function tothe channel bar 11. 1 The Z-bars 12'of. each pair,however, are supported on oppositely threaded sleeves 13, 13, which are mounted on rotatable vertical bars 14: at the corners of the frame of the truck. A. handle 15 and suitable operating gears and connecting shafts 16 are provided whereby the rotation of the handle 15 will turn the threaded sleeves 13 to cause the bars 12 of each pair to either approach or reoe'de from each other, thus varying the inclination of the trays 10 and permitting air, if so desired, to pass over the surface of the material instead of all passing through the body of material to be dried.

I may also support the material, such as 18, to be dried on trucks 4 of the type shown in Figs. 6 and 7, in which trays 10 are used, trays 10 being: arraged horizon tally in the trucks i -and supported on angles 19 or other suitable guide members, each tray carrying a vertical batiie 20 at one end of approximately the height between adjacent sets of guides 19. The trays 10 are arranged in the trucks 4* so that baffies 20 of adjacent trays are at opposite ends of the truck in the direction of flow of the air whereby the air is forced to flow idirough the trays and the material thereon'in the manner indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6.

In the operation of apparatus according to my invention, the tunnel, such as 8, is kept filled with trucks loaded with material to be dried from one end to the other. When the material on one truck has been suflicient- 1y dried and is removed from the tunnel into the air lock 7, a truck load of the raw material is pushed in at the open end. The material on the trucks passes throughthe tunnel in counter direction to the current of air which is taken from the atmosphere and is heated to a substantially constant term perature, depending upon the material to be dried. The moisture content at the outlet ofthe tunnel is maintained at saturation by varying the volume of flow of air in the general way described in Letters Patent No. 1,305,599, The air flowing from the blower passes into the pockets between the trucks and is brought into intimate contact with the material by being repeatedly forced through the bottoms of the trays. li loreover, this is accomplished with a minimum back pressure owing to the very large area provided for the air current in all of the arrangements described. In the modifications of my" invention employing inclined trays. the resistance to the flow of air is further reduced owing to the fact that the available or useful air space between the trays is substantially twice that in arrangements where the trays are parallel.

When operating on very light material which might be carried from the trays by the air current, I provide screen tops 21 to close over the tops of the trays and prevent the blowing off of the material.

Apparatus according to my invention, while primarily designed for use in the drying of grapes, prunes or other fruits or veg ctabies, can be employed with high c"; for dr, certain lines of clieinica such as litlibpoiie or material from filter p lVhile I have illustrated and described herein in detail the preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 do not wish to be limited to details of. operation, form, material, arrangement or construction herein disclosed, except in so far as such details are essential to the novelty of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1 The combination. in a drying apparatus of a substantially horizontal tunnel open at one end, means for forcing a current of drying air into the other end of said tunnel, a plurality of trucks in said tunnel, and trays carried in tiers on said trucks for supporting the material to be dried, each tray in a given tier being inclined oppositely with respect to the air current as compared to those in mediately above and below itand said tun-,

nel having an outlet for trucks near inlet of the air. a

2. Atruck for holding material to be dried in a substantially horizontal air current comprising means on said truck for supporting trays at an angle to the horizontal, the adjacent trays beingr oppositely inclined with respect to the horizontal.

3. The combination in a drying apparatus of means for creating a current of drying fluid in a substantially horizontal direction and means adapted to support tiers of trays in said current, each tray in a given tier being inclined oppositely with respect to the those immediately the current as compared to above and below it.

4. The combination in a drying apparatus of a substantially horizontal tunnel, trucks in said tunnel. means for creating current of drying gas longitudinally of said tunnel, means on saic trucks for supporting tiers of trays to receive the material to be dried, said trays have perforate bottoms and each tray in a given tier being inclined oppositely with respect to'said gascurrent as compared to those immediately above and below it.

5. The combination in a drying apparatus of a tunnel, trucks in said tunnel, means on said trucks for supporting front and rear edges of said trays. and means whereby the level of the supporting means for the front edges of said trays may be adjusted independently of that of the rear edges.

6. A. dryingapparatus coniprisiiigin combination a substantially horizontal tunnel, means for causing ablast of heated, air through said tunnel, trucks in said tunnel, trays on said trucks arranged in tiers, and means for supportingsaid trays so that alternate trays in a given tier incline toward the air inlet and alternate trays incline toward the air outlet.

7 A. drying apparatus comprising a substantially horizontal tunnel, means for forcing heated air through said tunnel, trucks carrying tiers of trays in said tunnel, said trays being adapted to hold material to be 5 dried and having perforate bottoms, and

means whereby said air current has relatively easy ingress into and relatively diflicult egress from alternate inter-tray spaces in a given tier of trays and whereby said air current has relatively diflicult ingress into and relatively easy egress from the intertray spaces intermediate said alternate spaces.

. HARRY BENTZ. 

